Rescued Corps Member David Ayodele Recalls Harrowing Ordeal: "They Asked Who Would Drink Water, Said We'd Be Killed After One Month"

Reported by: Ijeoma G | Edited by: Oravbiere Osayomore Promise.

A nightmare that began on a highway in Kogi State has ended in relief, as security forces rescued 15 members of the National Youth Service Corps (NYSC) and six other Nigerians from a kidnappers' den in Egume Forest, Ofu Local Government Area. The victims, comprising eight males and 13 females, were abducted on Wednesday, August 26, 2026, while traveling from Bayelsa State to Abuja after completing their NYSC orientation programme. Their captors had demanded a staggering N20 million ransom for each corps member.

The rescue operation, executed by a combined team of military personnel, the Nigeria Police Force, the Department of State Services (DSS), and local vigilantes, was confirmed by the Defence Headquarters on Monday, August 31, 2026. According to the Director of Defence Media Operations, Maj. Gen. Michael Onoja, the coordinated effort successfully extracted the victims from the Egume-Ochaja forest stretch. "A total of 21 victims, comprising eight males and 13 females, 15 of them being National Youth Service Corps members, have just been rescued," Onoja stated.

For the rescued corps members, the ordeal was a harrowing experience. One of them, David Ayodele, recounted how the driver of their vehicle attempted to escape when the kidnappers emerged, only for the occupants to be forced out at gunpoint as the abductors fired rounds into the air. "Driver tried to escape, but he said, Who's the driver? Who's the driver? And I held the driver, then they opened the door, and they started leading us to the bush while they were shooting, you know, rounds of bullets in the air," Ayodele said.

The abductees were marched into the forest under a hail of flogging, kicking, and verbal abuse. "Then we made our way to the bush with flogging and kicking and shouting and stuff," he added. Once deep in the forest, the kidnappers delivered a chilling ultimatum: the victims would spend a month in captivity before being killed. "We reached one kind of bushy area; they asked us to sit down, they asked us who would drink water, that we would be here for one month, so they would kill all of us," Ayodele recounted.

The warning that anyone who moved without permission would be shot kept the victims paralyzed with fear. They were forced to trek for a considerable distance through the forest before security personnel eventually reached them. "So we moved a lot, a lot, a lot, a lot and then thank God the Nigerian Army came to meet us," Ayodele said. The Kogi State Police Command confirmed that the rescue followed a coordinated, sustained, and intelligence-driven operation.

Commissioner of Police, CP Naziru Bello Kankarofi, commended the personnel for their gallantry and professionalism. He also appreciated residents of the affected communities for providing timely information that was critical to the success of the operation. The operation is still ongoing, with security forces intensifying efforts to rescue all remaining victims and apprehend the fleeing suspects.

President Bola Tinubu expressed relief over the successful rescue, commending the security personnel and vowing that the perpetrators would face the full weight of the law. "Those responsible will face the full weight of the law, and our security agencies will pursue everyone who aided this crime," Tinubu said.

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